The Harmonics
by Madison Swan
Summary: Clara and The Doctor are at University and both happen to join their school's acapella group. Their friendship quickly turns into a budding romance while they work towards winning the national acapella competition. Whouffle.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One:**

Clara Oswald glanced down at the slip of paper in her hand, double checking the number that was boldly printed in the top right corner. Room 221. This was it. She took a deep breath and slid her key into the slot. The door unlocked with a snap and she pushed it open. It appeared that her roommate had arrived before her, as half of the room was covered in boxes and stray pieces of clothing. A laptop sat open on the desk, glowing in the dim room. Clara flipped the light switch and lugged her suitcase to her half of the room. She heaved it onto the bed and began to unpack. She had taken two trains and a bus to get to campus, and she was absolutely exhausted. Thankfully, her classes didn't start until next week, so she would have time to settle in and hopefully make some friends. Clara began to make her bed, flopping onto her stomach to reach the far corners. _Its times like this when I really wish I were taller _Clara grumbled to herself. Reaching into her suitcase she gingerly extracted a thick leather journal. She tucked it under her pillow carefully, making sure none of the loose pages that were stuffed into the binding fell out. She was just stuffing her last shirt into the ridiculously small dresser when the door swung open and a tall blonde girl strolled in, stepping around boxes, and flopped onto her bed. "Oh," Clara squeaked in surprise. The girl lifted her head and propped herself up on her elbows.

"Hey," she said, looking over at Clara. "You just get here?"

"Yeah, about half an hour ago," Clara replied shyly. "So you're my roommate?"

"It appears so," the girl replied with a laugh. She stuck her hand out in Clara's direction. "I'm Sally."

"Clara," she replied, taking Sally's hand. The two girls smiled at one another. "So how long have you been here?" Clara questioned.

"Oh, about two weeks," Sally replied with a shrug. "It gets boring after a while. I've been to a few parties, met a few people, but no one I really click with, you know?" She flicked a stray piece of hair out of her eyes and stood up. "I heard that there's an activities fair in the courtyard. All freshman are required to take an extracurricular activity." She rolled her eyes as if to say _can you believe it? _She walked to the door and raised an eyebrow. "So you coming?"

Clara liked Sally immediately. She was funny, energetic, and never stopped talking. They talked all of the way down to the courtyard, with Sally telling jokes and Clara adding to the conversation whenever she could get a word in. They finally reached the activities fair and Clara stopped dead in her tracks. The entire courtyard was filled with colorful booths and other freshman milling around. "Yeah, its kinda crazy out here," Sally yelled over the noise of the crowd. "It's crazy wherever the entire student body congregates, actually. Just wait until meals." She shuddered dramatically. "You'll get used to it though." Clara laughed as she gazed around at all of the booths, wondering where to start.

"Should we split up? Or stick together?" She gnawed at her bottom lip, and habit that popped up whenever she was nervous.

Sally mimed having a heart attack. "Are you kidding? If we split up we would never be able to find each other. And the chances of one of us being trampled or eaten skyrockets."

Clara raised an eyebrow. "Eaten?"

"Oh yeah." Sally nodded melodramatically, a huge grin splitting her face. "You never know what'll happen here." Clara shook her head and giggled.

"We better get going," Sally said. "Dinner is in an hour. And I refuse to miss a meal." They headed down the sidewalk into the middle of the chaos. The sights and sounds were overwhelming. Hundreds of students walked around, in groups or alone, laughing and talking. More and more were arriving, in taxis, buses, or cars. Clara laughed as a tall lanky guy stumbled out of a cab reading a book. He attempted to unload his luggage from the back seat, but dropped a particularly large suitcase onto his foot. He jumped up and down, clutching his foot in his hand and muttering under his breath. He ran a hand through his brown hair, slicking most of it back over his high forehead. He had very nice hair, Clara noted. _Woah, where did that thought come from? _She shook her head and started over to help him with his things when Sally grabbed her arm.

"Clara, look! There's an acrobat club!"

"Uh, hate to break it to you, but I have zero flexibility," Clara said with a laugh.

"Neither do I," Sally admitted. "But it sure looks fun." Sally spotted another booth that looked interesting and dragged Clara through the crowd. Clara craned her neck over her shoulder to where the young man with the book had been standing, but he was already gone.

After twenty minutes of looking at clubs that were either lame, uninteresting for either Clara or Sally, or just plain out weird, Clara was exhausted. "Are you sure we have to join a club?" Clara complained, dragging her feet.

"Yes!" Sally exclaimed. "Even if we weren't required to, I want to do something fun with you to distract myself from the tragedy that is school."

"That's true," Clara laughed.

"I'm sure we'll find the perfect club. We still have half an hour!" Clara groaned, but let her friend drag her through the ground. Suddenly Sally dropped her hand and bolted into the mass of people out of Clara's sight. Clara had to sprint to keep up, scanning the crowd for Sally. She finally spotted her at a booth with a light grey tablecloth and a pale blue banner. Clara squinted up at the sign trying to decipher the name written out in dramatic, looping cursive. _The... Harmonics? What could that be? _Suddenly it dawned and she slowly looked over at Sally in fear. "No... No, you don't really want to-"

"Clara this is amazing!" Sally broke in excitedly. "This is it. This is what we should do!"

Clara groaned inwardly. "An acappella group? Why did you have to pick an acapella group?"

The girl behind the booth spoke up. "Being a member of The Harmonics is a great opportunity. Every year we go to the state finals. We have won the title eleven times and we are hoping for a twelfth victory this year. Hopefully you girls could be a part of the experience." She smiled warmly at them.

"See?" Sally said, jumping up and down. "We _have _to do this. Please Clara?" She grasped Clara's small hands in her own and made puppy dog eyes.

"But I don't even sing," Clara protested. In fifth grade, Clara's class had put on a Christmas play. She had wanted to be an angle but was denied the part because of her brown hair. They had wanted all of the angles to be blonde, which was totally discriminative, Clara thought bitterly. And so cliche. One of her teachers had heard her singing at recess and was gave her the part of the star above the manger. She was supposed to sing a big solo for the finale. By some twist of fate she had gotten the flu a week before the performance. Four straight days of puking and halfheartedly sipping fluids later, she was feeling a little better. She decided to go on with the show, but during her big solo threw up all over Mary and baby Jesus. Thank goodness he was just a doll. Mary, unfortunately, was not. Ever since that night, Clara had been emotionally scarred and refused to sing ever again.

"Oh come on Clara," Sally begged. "At least audition. If one of us doesn't make it we can find something else." Clara looked at her new friend and sighed when she saw how desperately she wanted to do this.

"Fine," Clara finally agreed. "Lets hope I don't regret this." Sally squealed in excitement and threw her arms around Clara.

The girl behind the counter smiled at the girls' embrace. "So I'll see you two at tryouts?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: **

Tryouts were the next Saturday. Sally insisted that they spend the whole day getting ready. By the time they were ready to leave, clothes were covering every inch of their room and Clara was primped and polished and thrown into an outfit that was way too revealing.

"You look fabulous" Sally promised. "They'll have to accept us."

"Uh, I don't think they judge you on your looks, Sally." Clara said. "I'm pretty sure you have to be a good singer."

Sally raised an eyebrow. "Are _you _a good singer Clara?" Clara had refused to sing in front of Sally, preparing her audition number while her friend was in class.

"You'll just have to find out," Clara smirked. She opened the door and started walking down the hallway. "Come on. You don't want to be late," she called over her shoulder. Sally ran to catch up and sprinted past Clara, laughing as Clara huffed in frustration. "Race you!"

{LINE BREAK}

They reached the place where auditions were to be held with fifteen minutes to spare.

"There are so many people," Clara gasped.

"Its awesome," Sally agreed.

"Thats not what I meant," Clara said nervously. "I don't know if I can do this Sally." She gripped her friend's arm.

"Hey hey, its alright. You're going to be fine." Sally said soothingly.

"But what if they don't want me? I bet everyone here is better than me. Oh god, why did I agree to do this?" Clara moaned. She sank down into a chair. The blonde girl from the booth came up to them. "I'm glad you guys made it!" she said in a chirpy voice. "I'm Alyssa, if I didn't tell you the other day." She looked down at Clara and noticed for the first time that something was wrong. "Uh, is your friend ok?" she asked Sally worriedly.

"Oh yeah, she's fine," Sally said, patting Clara's shoulder. "Just a bit nervous for the audition, thats all."

"Well I'm sure you'll do fine," Alyssa said encouragingly. "We have six spaces open this year, so you'll have a pretty good chance."

"But theres like twenty people here," Clara moaned without lifting her head.

"I'll let you two in on a little secret," Alyssa said, kneeling down to Clara's sitting level. "I've been holding auditions for three years now, and over two thirds of the people who try out have horrible singing voices. Its actually usually a struggle to fill up all of the available spots."

"See Clara?" Sally soothed. "I'm sure we'll make it." Alyssa left the pair and went to sit with the other two judges. One was a boy with curly brown hair and the other was a short girl with long silky hair wearing a cropped black tee shirt and ripped jeans.

"I just don't want to embarrass myself." Clara muttered. Sally sighed. "Clara, you're going to do fine. Now come on. The auditions are starting." Sally dragged Clara to a row in the middle of the auditorium and sat down. Clara slumped down in her seat and tried to calm her nerves. _You can do this _she said to herself. _Its going to be fine. _Clara watched as people went up one by one in alphabetical order. It made Clara feel a lot better that most of the people auditioning did in fact suck. Her heart sped up when she realized that they were approaching the Os very quickly. _Okay Clara. You got this. Forget about fifth grade. _She cracked her neck and waited in agonizing nervousness for her name to be called.

"Clara Oswald?" Clara's throat constricted. _Oh god... _Somehow Clara made it to the stage, her legs carrying her automatically. She gazed into the sea of people and picked out Sally. Her friend nodded and smiled encouragingly. "Whenever you're ready, Clara" Alyssa said softly. Clara took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and began the opening bars of Iridescent. She got through the intro with no problem and began to sing.

_When you were standing in the wake of devastation_

_When you were waiting on the edge of the unknown_

_And with the cataclysm raining down,_

_Insides crying "Save me now!"_

_You were there, impossibly alone..._

Clara peeked open her eyes and saw that many members of the audience were smiling. Adrenaline began to rush through her and she relaxed completely, letting the song consume her.

_And in a burst of light that blinded every angel_

_As if the sky had blown the heavens into stars_

_You felt the gravity of tempered grace, falling into empty space_

_No one there to catch you in their arms..._

Someone in the audience cheered, making Clara burst with happiness. She had forgotten so long ago how singing made her feel. She ended the song softly, and the audience broke into applause. "Thank you Clara," Alyssa said with a smile. "That was beautiful." Clara returned to her seat in a trance. As she sat down, Sally grabbed her hand. "You did amazing Clara!" she exclaimed. "I thought you said you didn't sing!"

"I don't," Clara replied cheekily. "But I never said I couldn't."

With her audition out of the way, Clara could relax and enjoy other people's performances. There were a few people who really stood out, including a tall redhead and a guy with shaggy black hair and a maroon beanie balanced on this head. "Thats Austin," Sally whispered. "Hes super hot. And surprisingly nice. I met him at a party a few days ago." Clara nodded in appreciation. His rendition of Holiday by Green Day was exceptional. He could hit both high and low notes with ease. After his performance Clara started to lose interest in the other auditions. She began to pick at a loose thread that was dangling from her skirt. When she looked up, a tall young man with floppy brown hair was walking up onto the stage. Clara gasped. He was the guy with the book who dropped luggage on his foot. _Shoot, _Clara thought. _I missed his name. _He was wearing jeans, a white dress shirt and bow tie, along with a pair of beat up converse. Clara thought that the strange ensemble suited him very nicely. He cleared his throat awkwardly and began humming the opening bars of Don't Stop Believing, then threw in a little beat boxing. It was fine by itself, but he started to add some awkward head bops and arm jerks. A few laughs echoed across the auditorium and Clara sank down into her seat in sympathetic embarrassment. But then he opened his mouth and began to sing.

_Just a small town girl_

_Livin' in a lonely world_

_She took the midnight train going anywhere..._

The entire room fell silent. The sounds coming from his mouth were incredible. Pure and full of emotion.

_Just a city boy_

_Born and raised in South Detroit_

_He took the midnight train going anywhere..._

He continued singing, his voice floating up like a summer breeze. How could someone have such an amazing voice? Clara watched in awe as he sang through the verses flawlessly. He reached the chorus, hitting the high notes effortlessly, and the crowd went wild. He ended the song with a flourish and pumped his fist in the air. The three judges jumped to their feet. The rest of the audience joined them, cheering him on. Alyssa turned to the crowd and tried her best to restore order. The auditorium fell silent and Alyssa smiled as she announced, "In an unanimous decision, meet our first new member of The Harmonics- Matthew Smith!"

_Credits: Iridescent by Linkin Park_

_ Don't Stop Believing by Journey_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three:**

That night Clara and Sally were sprawled on Sally's bed, watching Silver Linings Playbook and snacking on pretzels and popcorn. "I hope I did alright," Sally said, breaking the silence. Clara looked up, breaking her trance on the TV. She squinted her eyes. "What?"

Sally sighed in frustration. "The auditions." Clara sat up against the wall and crossed her arms.

"Sally Sparrow. Are you really worrying about your audition? You did amazing."

"Yeah, I guess. But not as good as you or that Matthew guy."

"You were every bit as good as me. Now shut up and watch the movie." She threw a popcorn kernel at Sally's head, making her roommate laugh. The girls resumed their positions on the bed and turned their attention back to the movie. When the movie finally finished, Clara got to her feet and stretched her arms above her head. "Well," she yawned loudly. "I better get to bed. I have classes tomorrow." Sally agreed and they began their nightly rituals. Sally's mouth was full of toothpaste when her phone buzzed. She looked down and screamed, chucking her toothbrush across the room and causing Clara to jump two feet in the air.

"What? What is it? Are you all right?"

"I made it!" Sally screamed, jumping up and down. She attempted to throw her arms around Clara, but her friend stepped back and wrinkled her nose in disgust. "Wipe your mouth, if you don't mind. And start over. _Slowly._" Sally stopped bouncing and quickly wiped the toothpaste off her face. She smoothed down her hair and cleared her throat, but her eyes were still glittering excitedly. "I just got a text from Alyssa saying I made the group! Oh, I haven't been so excited since that one time my boyfriend and-" She broke off and worry filled her eyes. "Wait. Clara, didn't she text you? You were so much better than me too... Oh it won't be the same without you... Are you alright?" Clara rolled her eyes and snorted.

"I turned my phone off for the night you berk. I'll go power it up."

Sally let out a breath and wiped her forehead. "Whew. I was worried there for a second."

Clara rolled her eyes again and padded over to her bed. She picked up her phone and pressed the power button. Despite her cool exterior, Clara was having a mini mental breakdown. She knew the audience had liked her audition, but what about the judges? The risk of potential rejection terrified her. After what seemed like a millennium, Clara's phone finally powered up. She nervously checked her inbox, and sure enough, there was one new text from Alyssa. Clara felt Sally grip her shoulder and she took a deep breath, clicking on the mini envelope. A long text message popped up and Clara began to read out loud in a shaky voice.

"Clara. Congratulations! You're audition was wonderful. You have a beautiful voice and we would be fools to not acknowledge that. This year's audition produced a lot of talent, much more than usual. But I and the rest of the Harmonics have decided that you are among the best. We would be honored if you would join our prestigious acappella group. Rehearsals start this Friday and will continue throughout the season, five days a week. You will receive a more detailed schedule shortly via email. I hope to see you there :)" This text was quickly followed by another, giving instructions on how to find their rehearsal building, and three more describing rehearsal etiquette and how she could prepare her throat for the 'strenuous' training that was coming up.

"Well she obviously has unlimited texting," Clara grumbled as she turned off her phone. Sally squealed and wrapped Clara into a hug.

"Who cares? We made it!" She bounced up and down. "Oh this will be so fun! I looked up The Harmonics on the internet, and they always have really cool arrangements. And their uniforms are so cute!" Sally continued to chatter about the different performances she had watched on YouTube and about the current members of the group as she got into bed and pulled up her covers.

"Well we should go to bed. I can barely wait for Friday." She sighed contently. "Goodnight Clara."

"Night," Clara echoed from across the room. She shut off her phone and put it down slowly. She couldn't believe she had made it in. Why would they want her? _Woah, Clara. You're amazing. Don't doubt yourself. Ok, ok. They obviously think I'm good. I didn't do anything stupid, or gross, so I'm fine. _Clara sighed and sat down on her bed. She flipped on the lamp that sat on her desk and extracted the leather bound journal from under her pillow. The journal had belonged to her mother, and she started writing in it shortly after she died. It made her feel closer to her mom, like she was talking to her through the ink and paper. Clara opened up the book and flipped to the next blank page.

_Dear Oswin, _

Clara had gained the nickname in first grade, when her best friend Nina had come up with a game about spies and fairy princesses. She had declared herself Fairy Princess Iridessa and told Clara that she got the role of a spy and demanded that she think of her agent name. This task stumped Clara, and she convinced Nina to let her play the first time without a name. After an invigorating goblin chase, they encountered a gang of pirates. Clara grabbed her trusty dagger and slayed all of them single handedly. "Yay Clara!" Fairy Princess Iridessa cheered. Clara puffed up her chest and pumped her fist in the air.

"Clara Oswald always wins! Oswald for the win!" Her eyes widened. "Oswin!" She smiled triumphantly. "Thats my name. I am secret agent Oswin."

Ever since then the name had stuck. Nina moved away in tenth grade. The two friends had slowly drifted apart, but Clara continued to use the nickname, using it to address her journal.

_I made it. I'm officially part of The Harmonics. I guess I worried all for nothing. I wish I could be more confident in myself. Its like I'm wearing a veil so people can't read my emotions. Hopefully Sally's positive attitude will rub off on me. Unless she is the same way. It seems like everyone has a false presence that they use to fool people, huh? Everyone has something to hide._

_Moving on to a not so depressing topic, I saw the Mystery Guy, Matthew, in the cafeteria today. I don't know what makes him so intriguing. Maybe its the chin. He has a very big chin. Instead of Mystery Guy, maube I should call him Chin Boy. Hmm... Well today he was scooping up mashed potatoes and dropped a huge gob on his shirt. He was so surprised he dropped the spoon as well, which splattered even more everywhere, including a bit on the lady who was working behind the counter. The look the lunch lady gave him could stop and charging moose in its tracks. He started to apologize frantically while wiping off his shirt, but the potatoes just spread, earning him another death glare. I was about ready to go over and help him, but Sally insisted that we go to the library so she could study for her History test. Speaking of which, I still have some calculus homework to do. Ugh. College is a lot harder than I expected it to be. I'll write all about my first rehearsal on Friday. _


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four:**

Friday came quickly, and soon Sally and Clara were on their way to the very first rehearsal of The Harmonics. Sally couldn't stop talking, oblivious to the fact that Clara was wringing her hands nervously. Clara still felt a little self conscious about singing in front of other people. She worried that she would end up bringing down the group. There was also the fact that most of the other members were upperclassmen. She and Sally were among the few freshman who made the cut, including Austin and Matthew. Matthew. He was the one thing Clara was actually looking forward to at rehearsal. She hoped she would finally be able to introduce herself and maybe get to know him better.

"So there's supposed to be a party after rehearsal," Sally was saying. This jerked Clara out of her day dreaming. She stumbled to a halt and Sally looked back at her from over her shoulder.

"What?"

"There's going to be a party?"

"Yeah," Sally said. She looked confused. "Alyssa didn't tell you? You would think she would with all those texts she sends you." She snorted.

Clara laughed,trying to shake off her feeling of dread. "What kind of party?"

Sally twirled a piece of long blonde hair around her finger excitedly, something she did when there was gossip to spread. "So apparently there's another acapella group at a school a few miles from here that competes in the same division. Every year we start rehearsals on the same day and then meet at one of the schools for a party. Its our turn to host."

She lowered her voice and glanced at Clara mischievously. "I hear they get pretty wild. Sometimes they don't end until five in the morning. I also head something about a chocolate cannon..."

Clara smiled nervously. "Sounds good." Sally checked her phone and gasped. "Oh god Clara. We're going to be late!" Clara's eyes widened. "Well lets go!" The last thing Clara needed was to embarrass herself even further by showing up late on the first day of rehearsal. Sally grabbed Clara's hand and they bolted down the hallway.

They burst into the room with three minutes to spare.

"Whew," Sally breathed. "That was too close."

"Yeah," Clara agreed, trying to cover up her heavy breathing. She straightened up when she saw Alyssa approaching her.

"I'm glad you guys could make it," she chirped, wearing a cheery smile. "We were just about to start." She raised her voice, addressing everyone in the room. "Okay guys. Let's circle up and get to know each other a bit." As everyone formed the circle, with a few groans here and there, Clara eyed the other members. There were about two girls for every guy, and 15 people in all, including Alyssa. Matthew was present, and he stood in between the tall redhead and a slightly shorter guy with light brown hair. Clara took her place next to Sally, and Austin sauntered up next to her. "Mind if I stand here?" She shrugged in a way that said, _why not?_ Austin smirked and settled into his spot. Clara shot him a grin as well. Flirting was one thing she was confident about. Alyssa clapped her hands and stood in the middle of the circle.

"Hi everyone!" she exclaimed with a smile. "I'm Alyssa. I've been in The Harmonics for three years, I'm currently a senior, and I am the president of The Harmonics as well as the manager." She pointed to the guy with curly brown hair. "This is Jesse and he's second in charge." Jesse nodded his head slightly, with a small smile. Alyssa then motioned to the petite girl with raven black hair that fell to her waist. "This is Sofia. She is my assistant." Sofia waved. " I hope you all give Jesse and Sofia the same respect that you would me. Now we are going to go around the circle and I want you all to introduce yourself. At least one interesting fact!" Her cheerfulness was met with even more groans. "Oh hush," she scolded. "You know we do this every year. No amount of groaning is going to change that." She laughed. " Why don't we start with you." She pointed at Austin.

"Sup guys," he drawled. "I'm Austin. I like crazy parties, the color black, and singing." He winked at Alyssa. Alyssa strained to keep her smile. She smoothed her pencil skirt and took a deep breath. "Well, nice to meet you, Austin. Uh, moving on to Clara."

Clara cleared her throat and stood up straight. "Hi. I'm Clara Oswald. I'm a freshman and, uh-" she wracked her brain for something interesting to say. "I really like writing," she decided.

"Oh, that's interesting," Alyssa smiled. "What do you write?"

"Just this and that," Clara shrugged. "Usually stories. I'm planning on becoming an English teacher."

They continued around the circle. When it was the redhead's turn, she smiled and said "Hi, I'm Amy. I'm a sophomore, and this is my boyfriend Rory." She motioned to the guy on the opposite side of Matthew. He blushed and waved slightly. "Yeah, I'm uh Rory, and that's Amy." He pointed back at her. There was a period of silence. "We're dating," he said, with a sheepish smile and a bob of his head. "They know that," Amy hissed.

He cleared his throat. "Right."

"Right," Alyssa said, and smiled awkwardly. "Now on to Matthew."

The tall buy stepped forward and straightened his bowtie, which was blue today.

"I prefer to be called Matt. And actually most people call me the Doctor."

Alyssa perked up. "Oh, and why is that?"

Matt smiled sheepishly and ran a hand through his thick hair, even though it just flopped back into place on top of his forehead. Clara wondered what it would feel like to run her own hand through his shiny brown hair. She imagined it would be soft and silky. She was startled out of her thoughts when he began to speak once again.

"Well ever since I was a kid I wanted to be a doctor. The name kind of stuck."

Alyssa clapped her hands together. "Oh, how interesting! Well now that we've met everyone, lets start rehearsal!"

Two hours later Clara was exhausted from singing scales, performing vocal warm ups, and learning choreography. "And that's it for today" Alyssa called, still sounding as perky as ever. "Don't forget we have the annual meet and greet party with the Acafellas right after. We're going to meet in the campus courtyard. See you all there!" Whoops and yells resonated throughout the room as Clara drifted over to Sally, who was chatting with Austin. "-and then I was like 'no way you're actually-' Oh hi Clara" she said, stopping mid sentence. Austin looked over at her and nodded. "Hey."

Clara smiled. "So what did you guys think of rehearsal?"

Sally grinned. "It was great."

"Meh," Austin shrugged. The two girls turned to look at him in bewilderment.

"Hey. Way too many warm ups. I signed up to sing." Clara smiled at him. "I know what you mean." He winked at her again, causing her to turn a light shade of pink.

"The party's gonna rock though," Sally cut in.

"Yeah," Austin replied. "I heard those Acafella guys really know how to party." He and Sally started gossiping and Clara took the time to scan the room. Matt was standing with Amy and Rory in the corner. Glancing back at Sally, she started to drift away. She was now engaged in a deep conversation with Austin and wouldn't even notice Clara missing. She wove through the small clusters of people until she was ten feet away. Hesitating, she wondered if she should talk to him. Her decision was made when Amy noticed the small girl and pulled Rory over to where Clara was standing.

"Hi," she said. "I'm Amy. You're Clara, right?"

"The one and only," she said with a smile. Then she looked at Rory. Amy still had her hand wrapped tightly around his arm. "And you're Rory." She stuck her arm out to shake hands, giving him an excuse to break free from Amy's grasp. He smiled gratefully at her. "The one and only," he mocked. She blushed a bit, but he only laughed. "Its nice to meet you Clara." He glanced around. "Rehearsal was pretty fun, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," Amy chimed in. "I'm so glad we decided to audition." She gave Rory a quick peck on the lips.

"More like you decided to," he laughed, returning the favor. Clara smiled at this casual display of affection. It was obvious the two really cared for each other. Amy suddenly snapped to attention. "Oh, you haven't met the Doctor yet." Clara's brow creased in momentary confusion. "Doctor who?" Amy laughed lightly.

"You might know him better as Matt."

"Oh, of course!" Clara slapped her forehead in realization. "I'm sorry, today has been such a blur." Rory patted her shoulder.

"Its alright. But try not to call him Matt. He's really sensitive to-"

Amy slugged his shoulder, giving him a look that signaled him to shut up.

"Oh, look at the time. The party is starting." She glanced at Matt- the Doctor -who was still awkwardly standing in the corner. "You two can get to know each other at the party," she said with a grin.

_Hold onto your chairs, the next chapter is going to be long._


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: The Party **

Clara had drifted back over to Sally and Austin, where they were deeply discussing the pros and cons of eyebrow plucking. "Whats the point?" Austin exclaimed.

"Oh, trust me honey. Plucking your eyebrows would go long way." Austin's hand flew up to his face. "Whats wrong with my eyebrows?" Clara shook her head, chuckling to herself. "If you two would stop acting like teenage girls..." she said, crossing her arms, "we could get to the party." She motioned around the room. "Everyone else is gone," she said, pointing out the obvious. The two looked over guiltily. "Sorry Clara," Sally mumbled. "Let's go."

The party was in full swing when they arrived. Music blared from speakers and lights flashed around the room, illuminating the groups of students that walked by with red cups in hand or stood with their friends, talking and dancing. Clara heard snippets of conversation as she walked. "Yeah, theres a hot tub out back-"

"Did you see David-"

"Eww, that guy is like, so gross." The shock of her first college party washed over her. Next to her, Austin stopped in his tracks. "Dude," he breathed. "This. Is. Awesome." One look at Sally showed her awe as well. Clara raised an eyebrow. "I thought you two had been to 'tons' of parties already."

"Yeah," Austin said, his eyes still transfixed on the scene around him. "But nothing like this!" He turned to Sally, looking like a kid on Christmas morning. "Lets go party!" Sally laughed in excitement and they ran off into the crowd. Clara rolled her eyes as she grabbed a cup from the table off to the left of where she was standing. She grinned when she saw that the tables were also stocked with a variety of other foods, including Doritos, pretzels, and M&amp;Ms. Then she realized that without the safety of her friends she had no idea what to do. She sipped her drink awkwardly for a few seconds, trying to look casual. A hand tapped her shoulder and she whirled around, her drink sloshing out of the cup. She was now face to face, or rather, face to chest, with the Doctor. She craned her neck to see his face, and then noticed the liquid that had soaked into his shirt. "Oh my gosh, I am so sorry," she cried, her face quickly becoming a dark red. She was flustered and started to dab at his shirt with a tissue she produced from her pocket. "Oh, I'm only making it worse." She gazed around rapidly, trying to locate some napkins. In her embarrassed frenzy she failed to hear the Doctor trying to quietly say something. A hand on her shoulder broke her trance and she stilled.

"Clara," the Doctor said again, "Please calm down. Its alright." He spoke quite softly, so it took a bit of straining to hear him over the roar of the party. Red in the face, Clara slumped her shoulders. "I am so sorry." There was a ghost of a smile on the Doctor's face as he grabbed a napkin and began dabbing at the stain in his shirt. "Like I said before, its alright. Its just some beer. I hated this shirt anyways." He full out grinned that time, and Clara allowed herself to laugh slightly. They stood there grinning at each other until Amy and Rory burst into view.

"Clara!" Amy exclaimed. Her cheeks were flushed and Clara noticed that Rory's hair was slightly more rumpled than usual. "Isn't the party great? Oh I see you've finally met the Doctor."

"Yeah," Clara smiled.

"And in the process managed to spill her drink on me." the Doctor grinned. Amy raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow. "Wow. How'd you manage that?"

"We bumped into each other," the Doctor shrugged.

"Literally," Clara added. The two looked at each other and giggled like kindergarteners.

"Looks like you two are getting along," Amy noted with a wink towards Rory. He grinned as well and clapped the Doctor on the back. "Well mate, we'll leave you two alone." He winked, and the two left, melting into the groups of dancing teenagers. An awkward silence hung over the once cheery atmosphere. Clara began to say something then stopped. The Doctor raked a hand through his hair looking embarrassed.

"Did they just-"

"Yeah," the Doctor sighed. "I'm sorry. Amy and Rory have been trying to play matchmaker with me lately. Ever since..." he trailed off, shaking his head. "Nevermind. I'd rather not talk about it." Clara's forehead creased in confusion, but she smiled sweetly at him. "Its ok. I understand." It was as if a weight had been lifted off the Doctor's shoulders. He smiled back. "Thanks. Anyway, could I get you a drink?" Clara smirked and lifted up the red plastic cup she was holding. "I think I'm covered," she teased.

"Sorry, sorry. I just assumed..." He ran his hand through his hair again, at a lost for words. Clara laughed and rolled her eyes. "I'm kidding. Anyways, I think most of it is on your shirt." The Doctor looked down and smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah, I think you're right." They laughed again. "Well I think I'm going to head back to my dorm and change, then we'll see about that drink."

"How romantic," Clara teased. "Maybe we'll even snag some pretzels and call it a real date." The Doctor blushed, waved awkwardly, and ran off to grab a new shirt.

Matt stalked through the halls, hands shoved in his pockets. Thoughts about the pretty girl he had just met ran through his head. Despite auditions and rehearsal earlier today he had never even noticed the girl who was named Clara. Now that he was thinking about it, he vaguely remembered her audition performance. He'd never heard the song, but her voice was beautiful. That wasn't the only thing that was beautiful, he thought. Racing through the halls he shook his head. _No way. Don't even think about it _he warned himself. _I bet she doesn't even like me. _On the other hand, she did appear to be slightly interested... _No no no. _He tried to think of something else. Anything else. Rehearsals, biology class, shit he still had homework in that class. Not that it mattered that much anyways. He was a straight A student and had all of the teachers wrapped around his finger. If he wanted to, he could make up a lame excuse about a family emergency and his teachers wouldn't even give it a second thought. He finally reached his room and fumbled for his keys. The sight he walked into was less than flattering. Jesse, his roommate, was standing in front of the mirror, examining his armpit hair.

"Dude, ever heard of knocking?" he exclaimed, whirling around. The Doctor covered his eyes and made his way towards his bed. "Sorry, just have to change my shirt."

Jesse flopped on his bed, sighing in distress.

"Why aren't you at the party?" the Doctor inquired. It seemed odd that the leader of the group wouldn't be there. Jesse shrugged. "Lame. I've been to three already. Anyways, Alyssa is there."

The Doctor pulled on a new shirt. "Aren't you and Alyssa a thing?" Jesse groaned and sank deeper into his mattress. "Were, my good friend. Were."

"Oh man, I'm sorry," the Doctor said.

"No biggie. Now get back to that party and leave me alone to wallow in misery. What happened to your shirt anyway?"

"Clara spilled her drink on me. On accident of course."

Jesse sat up as the Doctor was heading out the door. "That cute chick with brown hair? Go get her dude," he called out right before the door slammed shut. The Doctor walked quickly down the hall, eager to get back to the party.

Back at the party Clara had migrated over to where Sally and Austin were dancing. Clara hated dancing. Everyone was all sweaty, and you never knew when an unwanted admirer would start grinding up against you. After a few minutes of awkward bobbing on the dance floor, Clara decided to head back to the snack table. She had been so nervous for the rehearsal that she couldn't eat any of her lunch. Crunching on a handful of pretzels, she gazed around the room. It was amazing how some people could really let loose after a few drinks. Two guys were having what appeared to be a rap battle in the middle of the dance floor. Most of the partiers had gathered in a circle around the pair, cheering them on. Clara chuckled when the taller of the two flopped onto the floor and attempted to do the worm. Despite his utter failure he sold it, causing the crowd to roar in approval.

In the corner a couple was passionately making out as if no one else was there. Their arms were flailing and tangling in each others' hair, and they seemed to be sucking each other's faces off. Clara wrinkled her nose in disgust. She didn't mind PDA, just as long as it was classy. The boy started groping under his partner's sequined top. Definitely not classy.

She shook her head and grabbed some M&amp;Ms to keep herself busy while she waited for Matt to return.

Just then a guy with bloodshot eyes and a sarcastic grin stumbled up to Clara. Greasy blond hair curled around his ears and fell into his eyes. Drunkenly he stuck out his hand. "I'm David," he slurred. "And you-" he paused, smiling to himself, "are very hot." He stumbled closer to her and Clara stepped back, completely disgusted. She tried to excuse herself, but realized that she was trapped between the wall and the snack table.

It was just her luck. Her first college party and she was being pursued by a guy who was completely sloshed and probably high. She decided that her best bet was to distract him and then make a break for it.

She did her best to look flirty as she leaned in closer to him. "So you're into singing?" she asked in a sultry tone. He rested his weight on his heels, looking pleased with himself. "Oh yeah," he grinned, revealing crooked yellowing teeth. His gums were too pink, and they curled up unnaturally, making his teeth seem longer than they should. Clara forced herself to grin back, cringing internally.

"You into that?" David asked, drawing out his syllables. He leaned in closer, his hot breath hitting Clara on the face. The stench of whiskey was so strong that Clara had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from gagging.

"Uh huh," she managed to choke out. "Do you know what else I like?"

His grin grew bigger and he closed his eyes dreamily. He leaned closer, but Clara ducked around his shoulder and walked quickly away. She shuddered and willed herself not to look back.

All of a sudden she ran into someone. A rather large someone with broad shoulders and long legs. Arms reached out to steady her, and his hands firmly grasped her shoulders. She looked up in embarrassment and was greeted with a crooked smile and warm chocolate eyes.

"We need to stop meeting like this, Clara Oswald."

She stepped back, freeing herself from his grasp. She still felt the weight of his hands on her shoulders, and almost wished they were still there.

Smoothing down her skirt she smiled up at him. "I don't know. Its kind of fun. We run into each other, I almost fall over, drinks are spilled; what's not to like?"

The Doctor smiled and ran his hand through his mop of hair. His slender fingers combed it backwards, smoothing it over his part, but it just flopped back into place, looking a bit more ruffled. Clara was amazed at how intriguing a person's hair could be. Once again she had the urge to run her own fingers through his hair, pushing it back to gaze into his eyes.

"So how are you liking the party?"

Clara was startled out of her thoughts, and she tore her eyes away from his chestnut locks. "I'm sorry?"

The Doctor chuckled as if he was oblivious to the fact that Clara has been gawking at his hair. "I said, 'how are you liking the party?'" Clara blushed, and looked over her shoulder. She was relieved when she spotted David hitting on another girl, unfazed from being ditched by Clara. She supposed it happened often.

"Oh you know." She rubbed her wrist, wishing that her hands had something to do.

"Its fun. I'm honestly not that much of a party person."

The Doctor grinned and raised his cup in a mock salute. "Neither am I. Welcome to the club."

Clara smirked and raised an eyebrow. "There's a club?"

"There is now," The Doctor smiled. He dramatically gestured with his free hand. "I am the president, obviously. And you..." he paused, pretending to scrutinize Clara, looking her up and down. His intense gaze flustered Clara and she bit her lip.

"You," he drawled, "can be the secretary, if you want."

Clara crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, so because I'm a woman I automatically am the secretary? I didn't know you were so inclined to gender stereotypes."

The Doctor's eyes grew wide and he began to stutter. "I didn't- I mean- I didn't mean it like _that._"

Clara nudged him with her shoulder and rolled her eyes. Because of the drastic height difference between the two, Clara's shoulder only hit his mid chest, feeling somewhat awkward. "I was just joking. You need to stop taking everything so seriously.

The Doctor's face flushed but seemed to relax a bit. "Oh, of course. Of course you were joking. I'm sorry."

Clara nudged him again, starting to get used to the height difference. "You need to stop apologizing for everything," she laughed. The Doctor began to apologize, but stopped, quickly seeing his mistake.

"Alright." He said, mock saluting her. "Don't be serious. Stop apologizing."

"Now you've got it," Clara smiled. "At ease."

The Doctor relaxed and stepped closer to Clara, a grin plastered on his face.

"So, Clara Oswald, would you like to dance?"


	6. Chapter 6

_I'm so sorry for not posting sooner. I've been really sick lately and haven't had time to write. I'm feeling a lot better but this is a bit of a filler chapter. I hope the next one makes up for it- its going to be great_

**Chapter Six:**

The next morning Clara woke up with a smile on her face. After The Doctor had asked her to dance they ended up getting thrown into the mosh pit. The Doctor grabbed her hand so they wouldn't get separated, and they fought their way out of the mass of people, laughing. His hand was the perfect contradiction to her own. It was large and calloused and warm. She had small, slender fingers that were always cold. Bad circulation, her doctor had said.

Once they were free they went to a quiet corner and talked. They talked about nothing and anything and everything in between. When the party was starting to taper off (at 4 in the morning no less), The Doctor had asked her shyly for her number. She tried to not look to eager, but she couldn't help the smile that tugged on her lips. Their hands brushed gently when she handed him her number scrawled on a napkin. He promised to text her later.

When she met up with Sally in their room, she had a goofy grin plastered on her face that she couldn't get rid of.

"Ooh, Clara met a boyyy," Sally had teased, dodging the pillow that Clara swung at her.

It turned out that Sally had ended up hooking up with Austin, so she couldn't tease Clara all that much. Despite a thorough interrogation by Sally, Clara had refused to tell her who she met, and lied about having class the next morning to give her an excuse to go to bed. She fell asleep with a smile on her face.

Clara rolled out of bed groggily, exhausted from the party. She slid her feet into a pair of fuzzy blue bunny slippers, a gift from Nina when they were in middle school. She was surprised that they had lasted this long. The soles were worn down from years of use and the left bunny was missing a button eye. She supposed that she could replace it if she wanted, but secretly she thought it gave him character. Yes, her bunny slippers were male.

She grabbed her phone and headed into the bathroom to brush her teeth. She was scrubbing her teeth, trying to get rid of that awful morning breath, when her phone chimed. She glanced down, and broke into a grin when she saw what it read.

_Good Morning :) Meet me dining hall in 5. I have a surprise._

Clara rushed through her morning routine, ripping her hairbrush through the knots that always managed to form in the middle of the night and throwing on her sweatshirt from high school. Their mascot, a roaring lion, was printed on the front in black.

She practically sprinted to the dining hall, wanting to be with the Doctor as soon as possible. When she finally reached the towering oak doors, she slowed to a casual stroll and smoothed down her hair. Trying to catch her breath, she paused before walking into the room.

As always, the hall was bustling with activity, a flurry of students scribbling out last night's homework and drowning pancakes in syrup. Thankfully, Clara's scholarship included three meals a day. Most of the food was reasonably priced, but three meals a day could add up quick. She tapped her foot impatiently waiting in the line. When she made it to the front she grabbed a bagel and an orange and hurried over to the other side of the cafeteria. She scanned the room, searching for that familiar flop of brown hair.

She finally caught sight of the Doctor out in the courtyard, reading under an apple tree. She rolled her eyes and headed over to where he was sitting. His legs were bent into an awkward position, like he wasn't quite sure what to do with his excess of limbs. Today he was decked out in a purple button down and a dark blue bow tie. His brow was furrowed in concentration, eyes scanning the pages so fast Clara wondered if he was actually reading the words. She plopped her bag on the ground, startling the Doctor from his book.

He rubbed his eyes and stared at her in a daze. The he practically jumped up in excitement.

"Oh! Clara! You're here!"

She rolled her eyes. "Of course I'm here. You said five minutes, and its been..." she glanced at her watch... "exactly four minutes and 33 seconds."

"Yeah, I know," the Doctor grinned sheepishly. "I was just really caught up in my book..." He snapped it shut and showed her the cover. It had a creepy black forest and letters that appeared to be written in blood. Clara wrinkled her nose.

"That looks creepy."

"Well yeah," the Doctor said. "I like pretty much every genre, but mysteries and science fiction are my favorite."

"I prefer romance," Clara smirked. "Or realistic fiction. Honestly I'm more into writing than reading."

The Doctor's eyes lit up. "You write? Like, do you write for fun or are you working on book? Oh, is it science fiction? Can I read it?"

Clara laughed and held up her hands. "Hey, one question at a time."

The Doctor blushed and smoothed back his hair. "Sorry, I get really excited about books."

"So I've noticed." She paused, wondering if she should tell him about the book she was writing. She figured that if she did he wouldn't stop bugging her until he was allowed to read it.

"Oh, you know," she continued, deciding against telling him. "I write mostly short stories, nothing too exciting. I have a journal, I'm taking some creative writing classes."

The Doctor's face fell, but only for a second. "Oh thats cool too."

Clara nudged him. "Hey you should know this; I brought it up at the first meeting."

It was the Doctor's turn to roll his eyes. "Like I actually would pay attention to 'get to know each other' drabble. No, I was probably daydreaming."

"Hey so what was that surprise you mentioned?" Clara asked, raising her eyebrow.

The Doctor broked into a grin and yanked her to her feet, gathering up their stuff.

"Oh, Clara Oswald, are you in for a treat."


End file.
